Stepping Stones to Independence

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.
 

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People told us they liked being supported by staff from the service and relatives described staff as kind, caring and helpful. Comments included, “Staff are very kind and considerate” and “The staff are lovely.” A professional told us, “Staff have been supportive, got to know the individual well, understand their needs, been very flexible, kind, considerate, and worked in a person-centred manner.”

Staff shared examples of how they respected people’s privacy and dignity in personal care. One staff member said, “I have been taught to use a person-centred approach and to respect people’s dignity, as I always do.”

The registered manager told us it was important that other family members also felt supported by the service. They shared examples of how they had assisted people’s relatives and friends.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People told us they were treated as individuals and were encouraged to maintain and develop their independence where possible. One relative told us, “Stepping Stones to Independence have been brilliant at getting the match right. They know [Name of person] well and do a very, very good job in helping them to recover and regain confidence.”

Staff had access to information about people’s needs and were encouraged to read care records and information. These included information about people’s personal, cultural and social needs. Care records also contained detailed information about how individuals communicated. Staff told us they supported people in line with their individual needs, strengths and preferences.

Professionals said people were treated as individuals, even when this was complex or challenging. One professional told us, “Staff have appeared to very much have the wellbeing and welfare of the person at heart.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to have choice and control wherever possible. One staff member told us, “I give service users choice and control and allow them to maintain their independence in what they do each day. This is done by asking questions like ‘what would you like to do today’ and ‘you choose which order to do house chores in’.” Care plans included details about what people could do independently and how they could be involved in day-to-day tasks.

Relatives gave examples of how staff supported their family member to be as independent as possible. This included decision making, money management, attending work, developing communication skills and carrying out tasks alongside people. People accessed their local communities and engaged in a wide range of activities according to their interests, needs and preferences.

People were able to express preferences about whether they received support from a male or female carer, and this was respected as far as possible.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People’s relatives felt staff were responsive to their family member’s needs. They said staff took action to prevent or reduce discomfort, concern or distress when possible. Staff understood how people expressed pain or distress if they did not communicate verbally.

Care records contained instructions for staff to follow in the event of an emergency, such as the person becoming unwell or needing to evacuate their home.

One staff member told us some information was out of date when they recently had to contact a person’s GP, but this had been rectified by the management team.

Although the provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, staff did not always feel supported or enabled to deliver person-centred care.

The registered manager described various ways in which they supported staff. For example, with awards for good practice, Christmas events and providing refreshments and period products at the office. Adjustments had been made to the working arrangements of some staff to ensure they could carry out their role safely and effectively.

We received mixed feedback from staff about their experience. Staff told us they liked working for Stepping Stones to Independence and believed they provided high quality support to people. However, staff felt frustrated when communication was not effective or their workload felt unmanageable.

The provider had recently appointed a member of staff as a communication champion, and a co-ordinator post was being advertised externally. The provider hoped these roles would enhance the existing processes in place and improve the experience of staff.